graverobber

They say you never really know what you have until it's gone. Today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe Honda is a model that was once common but is now all but gone. Will its price also be a real gone deal?

Do you think when she eventually passes away - an event which will hopeful be far in the future - that Linda Vaughn will be sent to her final resting place in a Hurst hearse? Considering her natural assets, a high-roof ride like yesterday's 1969 Bonneville hearse would come in handy. With a 56% Nice Price win, that freaky ride is also apparently financially prudent.

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It seems as though these days, at least here in the States, that Honda can do no right. What with cars like the Crosstour (what the hell is that thing?) crowding dealer lots in place of S2000s, and the promise of a new Acura NSX presently unfulfilled - it's been what, two years now?) - the company hasn't hit one out of the park in seemingly forever.

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One of Honda's most stalwart models has been the Civic, which for decades has a been a no-brainer for those seeking a reliable small car that didn't feel like a penalty box. Even that tried and true player has been getting beat up of late, the current edition having not pushed the needle far enough over its predecessor, or perhaps for having let the competition catch up.

If you are among the current Civic's detractors, but still jones for that model's glory days, then perhaps you'd like this time capsule disguised as a 1981 Civic 4-door sedan. Sporting a 1.5-litre CVCC (Compound Vortex Controlled Combustion) four with a 5-speed gearbox, this second generation Civic also comes in an era-appropriate metallic brown.

The second Civic expanded the marque's model range to include a traditional three-box sedan, giving it the appearance of a three-quarter scale Accord. Or maybe it was the Accord of the time that looked like a big Civic? Whatever, the Civic sedan was also gussied up and sold through Honda's secondary sales channel as the Ballade, and that car was built and sold in Europe as the Triumph Acclaim. The Acclaim replaced the Dolomite and was noteworthy for being both the first Japanese car to be built in the EEC, and as the last automobile to carry the venerated Triumph name.

That's a lot of history to carry, but fortunately the Civic sedan has a pretty capacious boot. This one also seems to have all its trim and looks to be in great shape, at least aesthetically. The seller does claim that comes with the ORIGINAL ALLOY WHEELS & CENTER CAPS and I for one would love to see those. The wheels in the pics are steelies with trim rings, which are factory, but aren't what you'd traditionally call alloys. Probably just a minor slip up there.

The rest of the description is a little vague, but there seems to be enough to go on here. The carb is said to be new, and the car has its current papers. In the interior shot there is obviously some signs of age going on as the steering wheel looks a little eff'd up, and the seats are covered in the sort of Pep Boys snoods that you probably can't even get anymore.

You'll also note on the interior shot that the central tunnel is appreciably low, affording the footwells with a good bit of room below the tucked up dashboard. That's one place where these old Civics have it in spades over the new ones.

Another place where this one wins over a modern Civic is in price, this one's oddball $1,711 asking being less than the down payment on a new one. The question of course is whether that seems like a deal based on what's presented in this car's ad. What do you think, should someone lay down $1,711 for this Civic with class? Or, is that too much hash for this old Honda?